Live updates: Follow the latest news on US-Iran war
More than 100 people were injured in Iranian strikes on Israel’s southern cities of Dimona and Arad on Saturday, after the country’s air defence systems failed to intercept at least two ballistic missiles.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on Sunday that “military installations” and security centres in southern Israel were attacked.
Israeli air defences systems are functioning, but failed to intercept the strikes, military spokesman Brig Gen Effie Defrin said in a post on X. “We will investigate the incident and learn from it,” he added.
Israel’s secretive nuclear site is about 13km south-east of Dimona. Both the city and Arad are near several military sites, including Nevatim airbase, one of the largest in the country.
“This has been a very difficult evening in the battle for our future,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office after the strike on Arad. “We are determined to continue striking our enemies on all fronts.”
Israeli officials have also said Iranian forces fired long-range missiles for the first time, increasing the risk of the conflict escalating beyond the Middle East.
Iran launched two ballistic missiles, with a range of 4,000km, at the US-UK Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said. It was the “first time” Iran had used long-range missiles in the conflict, the military added, marking its first expansion beyond the Middle East since the US and Israel began their attacks on Iran on February 28.
“These missiles are not intended to strike Israel. Their range reaches European capitals – Berlin, Paris, and Rome are all within direct threat range,” Mr Zamir said in a statement.
Before the attacks, Iranian media reported that US-Israeli strikes hit the Natanz nuclear enrichment complex on Saturday morning. Technical experts found no radioactive leaks had occurred and people living nearby were not at risk. Israel said it was unaware of such an attack, while the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was investigating the incident.
Iranian media later reported attacks on a passenger terminal in the southern port of Bushehr and an empty passenger ship at Kharg Island. The island, where Iran loads nearly all of its oil exports, is potential target if Washington decides to hit Iranian energy infrastructure, or send ground troops to seize the site.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington was considering “winding down” its military operations against Iran. In a social media post, he said the US was close to meeting its goals in the conflict, but added that other countries should take the lead in securing the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway is vital to the global energy trade but has effectively been closed by Iran.
“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the terrorist regime of Iran,” Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
The US President and his administration have sent mixed messages about American aims throughout the war, leaving traditional allies struggling to respond. But shortly after issuing the statement on social media, Mr Trump threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran does not fully reopen the strait “within 48 hours”.
“If Iran doesn’t fully open, without threat, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 hours from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various power plants, starting with the biggest one first,” he said on social media.